"Oh shit!" said the woman in the first seat.
"Keep your head down!" shouted our coach.
"Oh shit!" this time it was the woman in the second seat.
"Keep your head down!" shouted our coach.
"Oh shit!" the women in the seat in front of me mumbled.
"Keep your head down!" shouted our coach.
My turn to look up: "Oh Crap!" was all I could say.
What I saw was a wall of water. We were in the bottom of an ocean swell.
What started out as a fun day, a day of yet another race, became one of the most scary moments in my life.
Months earlier, a friend of mine had asked if I wanted to join her outrigger team. Of course I didn't want to join her outrigger team; they out-rig in the ocean and you can't even see the bottom of the ocean!
"Give it a try," she said, "if you don't like it, I won't ever ask you again." And so I tried it.
Coming off that first run, I was elated. When out-rigging, you glide across the water, feeling the wind and the spray of the ocean. It is one of the most exhilarating sports I have ever participated in, and I was excited to join the team.
On this particular Sunday, we were in an outrigger race off the Coast of San Diego and the ocean was in an angry mood. When we started the race, the ocean seemed to be a little rough but not anything we couldn't handle.
When you are on a team of outriggers, everyone works as one. The coach, who is in the back, keeps her head up, watches where we are going, what is happening in front of us and looks to the horizon for our course. She is the one who sees the best perspective, the one who looks beyond the current situations, sees the hope and encourages us to maintain our positions, keep our heads down and continue moving forward.
I remember, as I looked up, all I saw was a wall of water. I couldn't even see the sky above. It terrified me, but the coach was encouraging us to keep our heads down and keep paddling. When you're in the bottom of a swell, in a small canoe, knowing the only way out is by riding the wave and depending on our coach to guide us.
When we finished the race, we could not stop talking about the experience of being at the bottom of a swell, how we kept the canoe upright and how no one panicked. We were all so grateful we had such a wonderful coach who we trusted to lead us back to dry land.
That's the thing about coaching, a Life Coach can help you navigate the waters. Whether it's choppy waves or the bottom of a swell, a Life Coach looks to the horizon, the direction you want to go, and helps you get there. A Life Coach is your partner, a trusted companion, who always has your best interest in mind.
If you are going through some rough waters, some confusing times or even need help and encouragement to get through your next project, give me a call and let's see if we can work together to get you to dryer land.
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